Review: Me And That Man – Songs Of Love And Death
Songs of Love and Death is the long awaited first album by Me And That Man, the band consisting of Behemoth frontman Nergal and musician John Porter. Having informed the public of this new folk project in 2015, the time has finally arrived for the album to be released on 24th March. The mainstay from Nergal’s Behemoth days are the atheistic & often satanic lyrics, however, the blend of folk, country and blues is a far cry from the former death metal sound.
The first thing I noticed on the album was the classic production. It has a vintage sound, I suspect with use of tape compression and the frequency spectrum is narrowed with very little in the high or sub-bass frequencies. This, in combination with the baritone vocals, creates a closeness which is impossible to detach from. It is an uncomfortable sort of warmth which enhances the desired effects of the songs.
The opening song, and the first single, My Church Is Black, effectively introduces you to what is to come. The slow tempo, folk-blues guitar, leads into soulful harmonica. However, the use of harmonica isn’t used as much as expected throughout the album. The backing vocals have many lines, at least five or six. Not a choir or harmony, nor tight or in perfect unison. Instead, the image created is more like a group of men signing in a tavern in an old western, a feature used in the majority of the songs.
One of the standout songs on the album is Cross My Heart And Hope To Die. Anyone who listens and doesn’t immediately imagine a ship full of pirates has no imagination whatsoever. The slow, lilting rhythm, the metallic sound effects, the big group chorus, even the use of a group of child singers; it really could have been commissioned for a pirate movie.
The sound throughout can best be described as haunting. The layering of many sounds and vocal lines is creative and likely to become the band’s signature. It also transforms the simplicity of the songs into something more complex. Saying that, these genres have been around for so long, it is incredibly difficult to develop a truly unique sound. Though the songs on the album are often very different, each one could, and probably will, be compared to other artists.
Listening to this album is not an enjoyable experience, but I mean that in the best possible way. It’s not an album designed to bring out the happiness within, rather to grasp and toy with the darkness. It is a feast of uneasiness and very few albums will have such a profound effect on you as this does. If I’m honest, it isn’t the kind of album I would choose to listen to, however, looking at it objectively, it is hard to fault the effectiveness of how it achieves the desired outcome.
Rating: 8/10
Highlights: “My Church Is Black”, “Cross My Heart And Hope To Die”
